Originally Posted by
sports1
I don't know how possible it'll be next year to hit 12k spend in airfare without flying paid J. I know that's definitely not a requirement to have hit 50k this year (because I flew exactly 0 paid J).
I do think there's a sub-group of travellers who could normally spend, say, 80% of the dollar requirement to hit 50k (under the 6k SQD threshold), and would be somewhat motivated to push for that 50k mark. But I'm not sure how large that group is if you raise that threshold to 12k. I also don't know if it even matters, because I don't think the carrot AC is dangling is worth the effort to consciously hit that threshold - ie. if you were going to spend the equivalent of 12k SQC in dollars anyways, it wouldn't be because you wanted to hit 50k.
You have correctly identified one cohort. They are definitely better off under the old rules.
There is another cohort that spends $12,500 a year in legacy SQD on 2 long haul TATL or TPAC flights a year in PY or J for work and 2 or 3 short haul domestic flights in Y for work or leisure. This was the old me for many years a long time ago.
Under the old rules they might have accumulated 24,000 SQM and not even qualify for E25K.
Under the new rules, they will accumulate 50,000 SQC and E50K status. They are definitely better off under the new rules.
I am often guilty of trying to make a general argument through the lens of my own self interest.
The new program definitely grants status to higher margin customers across all tiers and tries to reduce the status of low margin customers across all tiers who fly lots of miles but provide relatively low margins to AC.
I am part of the former group so the changes makes complete sense to me. If I were part of the latter group, I am sure that I would be vociferously opposed to the changes. Both positions are completely understandable based on self interest.
AC are trying to better align their financial self interest with recognition and benefits for their customers which makes total sense to me, again because of my own self interest.